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Tre Uchaf Primary School Weekly Newsletter

Week Beginning 23^rd  November

Dear Parents,

Thank you again for your kind donations to the Foodbank on Children in Need Day. The people at the Foodbank were astonished by your generosity!

New Routines Ahead!

Now that routines are in place and everyone knows the rules, from Monday we will no longer be ‘checking you in’ on arrival each day. You have all been sent a link to a form which we need you to complete before Monday. Thanks for the 114 forms which have been completed already! This asks you to confirm that you understand all our rules and will comply with them. You only need to complete the form once and I will monitor how this goes next week.

The North Road gate will now finally open again from Monday!  This means that those of you who live nearer to the North Road area can enter and exit the junior yard safely and conveniently without having to walk around to  Heol Cae Ty Newydd or cross the Cwrt Yr Ysgol car park area. (Parents with Infant children will need to do a little detour in order to follow the one way system by exiting the junior yard by the side gate before coming back in through the main gate). Please KEEP LEFT and keep 2m away from others when using this path at all times. Hopefully this will ease the congestion in the carpark because we are still receiving complaints from residents in Cwrt yr Ysgol and urge you to be respectful of other people, their parking spaces and driveways. Some residents are returning home to find they cannot access their driveway or parking space because a small minority of our parents are occupying their space.  If possible please use the North road entrance, St David’s close and park legally along Heol Cae Ty Newydd.

INSET Days

This is a final reminder that we will be closed for training on Thursday 26^th and Friday 27^th November.

Christmas Dinner!

There won’t be a traditional Christmas Dinner in Swansea schools this year. Instead the children will have a ‘Christmas Party Bag’ with a turkey roll and other party food! Christmas Dinner and Christmas Jumper Day will be on Friday 11^th December. The cost per meal is £2.40 and we will be asking you nearer the time if your child would like one.

C M Hewitt

Dear Parents,

Many thanks to everyone who has sent in donations to the local food bank and to Children in Need. The people at the food bank are delighted by the amount of food donated and especially because the idea came from one of our children in Year 3. The children have enjoyed their ‘non uniform’ day today and once again showed positive behaviour and respect for the charity they were raising money for. We have raised £270 and this will be sent off as soon as possible. Well done everyone!

New Routines Ahead!

Now that routine are in place and everyone knows the rules, from Monday 23rd November we will no longer be ‘checking you in’ on arrival each day. Instead we will send a form to your email during this next week to ask you to confirm that you will only send your children into school if they, and everyone else in your household is free of covid symptoms. You only need to complete this once.

To ensure things run safely and smoothly, may I remind you of our rules;

· Arrive with your child as close as possible to your child’s start time. Children arriving early without an adult will be unsupervised.

· Wear a face covering on school premises at all times

· Children should not be allowed to mix with children from other classes while waiting in the yards

· Remain at least 2m apart from other families while waiting to enter the premises and in the yards

· Use the one way system at all times and never enter through the exit gates, even if you are late

· Never drive beyond the barrier, even if it is open, are you are in danger of crossing the path of children

I am pleased to be able to tell you that the North Road gate will now finally open again from Monday 23rd November! This means that those of you who live nearer to the North Road area can enter and exit the junior yard safely and conveniently without having to walk around to Cae Ty Newydd or cross the Cwrt Yr Ysgol car park area. (Parents with Infant children will need to do a little detour in order to follow the one way system by exiting the junior yard by the side gate before coming back in through the main gate)

INSET Days

Another reminder that we have INSET Days on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th November.

School Uniform and Gym Days!

Your children have been coming to school in their gym clothes on PE days as requested and this is fine as it reduces changing time and mixing of clothing. Where possible would you please send your children into school with their uniform jumper over the gym tee-shirt rather something completely different! Gym days are starting to look like dressing up days which is a pity as our children look such a good team in their uniforms!

Christmas!

It is almost certain that there will be no live Christmas performances for parents allowed in school this year! However, we are planning to create something involving the whole school which will be filmed for you to enjoy. The children will get to dress up, sing, dance, play music and have fun and I’m sure they will make you very proud!

We will do our very best to ensure the children don’t feel they are missing out on anything this Christmas. There will be decorations, celebrations and parties galore!!

C M Hewitt

Tre Uchaf Primary School Weekly Newsletter

Week Beginning 9th November

Dear Parents,

We have had a very positive first week back! The children seemed to enjoy returning to school after the half term holiday and have been a joy to have back with us!

Our staff are working very hard to help them to catch up and to support them if they have any worries about the current situation. They are also preparing them for home learning just in case they are required to work from home again through another school closure. Please support them by ensuring that they complete any homework tasks as well as they possibly can and as independently as possible.

Halloween Day!

I would like to say well done and thank you to the children for their excellent behaviour on the Halloween dressing up day! On such days there is the potential for ‘over excitement’ but your children coped brilliantly with it all! I hope they enjoyed it.

Children in Need

As the children behaved so well on Halloween Day they will be given another opportunity to dress up on Friday 13th November for Children in Need! The children can wear ‘non-uniform’ of their choice in exchange for a donation of at least £1 to Children In Need. We would also like children to bring in donations for the Gorseinon Foodbank to help our local families in need. Please send in either dried or tinned food which doesn’t ‘go off’.

School Photographs

These will take place on Monday 9th November and will be individual photographs only, with no family groups in order to avoid the mixing of contact groups. They will be ready well before Christmas in case you want to buy them as Christmas presents.

Parking

Some of our residents from Cwrt Yr Ysgol (flats at the top of Heol Cae Ty Newydd) are becoming upset by parents who are parking in their designated spaces. Some have arrived home from work only to find that their space has been taken! Please, please don’t park in the numbered bays at any time as I fear the estate management may decide to start fining people if this continues. I have told them that you are decent people who wouldn’t want to cause upset and have promised I will remind you of expectations

before this situation escalates. With our current staggered start and finish times there should be more space to park on the roads around school and even in the school car park.

May I also remind you to be very aware of children walking around car parking areas around the school. Accidents in this area are avoidable if drivers would please…

· Slow Down!!

· Look carefully before driving/reversing

· Be aware that children can do unpredictable things!

Many thanks for your help with this.

INSET DAY Reminders

Just a further reminder of INSET Days;

o Thursday 26th November

o Friday 27th November

o Tuesday 22nd December

o Monday 4th January

Virtual Open Evening

Pen-yr-heol Comprehensive school are holding a virtual open evening which will be put on their website by Wednesday 11th November. The usual open evening will not be going ahead. You can access this at https://penyrheol-comp.net/

COVID Precautions!

Thank you for continuing to wear face coverings on school premises. This is something which the Local Authority is now likely to make compulsory.

As we are keeping contact groups apart all day in school we would ask you to help us with this when dropping children off in the mornings. Please do not allow your child to run around and mix with children from other classes while they are waiting to go into school.

Contact Us

If you, your child or a member of your household receives a positive Covid-19 test result during the weekend, please email school using URGENT as the reference. Our email address is treuchaf.primaryschool@swansea-edunet.gov.uk,

Many Thanks for your continued support.

Tre Uchaf Primary School Weekly Newsletter

End of Half Term and Week Beginning 2^nd November

Dear Parents,

At the end of this very strange half term I would like to thank you and your children for your positive response to all the changes we have had to put in place in school. Your compliance and cheerfulness has been much appreciated by our staff and you have all helped to keep our school community as safe as it possibly can be.

As we enter another national lockdown, school will continue with the same routines after half term when the children return on Monday 2^nd November. We hope your children will have a lovely half term but do understand how disappointed they must be not to be able to celebrate Halloween and Bonfire Night in the usual way! Hopefully we will be moving towards some kind of normality by Christmas and, while things may not be quite the same as usual in school we are already thinking about how we can make it a fun and creative time for the children.

Some Important Reminders

Thank you for doing your best to maintain social distancing when queuing to come into school. Please remember to do this all the time and particularly at the front gate where parents are walking back towards the car park as others are entering. Please be prepared to stand back and wait if necessary and please never ‘jump the queue’ as this causes tension and annoyance! Also please bear with us and wait if teachers are a couple of minutes late arriving at the gates. They are trying to juggle a lot of jobs first thing in the morning!

INSET Days

May I remind you that there will be two INSET days when teachers will be working on the New Curriculum, as follows;

• Thursday 26^th November
• Friday 27^th November

As the official Christmas holiday is very short this year (only 8 days off!) we have found a way of giving the children a full two weeks off. So the last day for children will be Monday 21^st December. This will be a Party Day when children can come to school in their party clothes and enjoy celebrating with their friends while you do some last minute Christmas shopping! They will return to school on Tuesday 5^th January, Monday 4^th January being an INSET Day.

Other Important Dates

Monday 9^th November         School Photographs Day (individual photographs only with no family groups)

Thursday 3^rd December       Flu Jabs for Reception – Year 6

We will let you know about Christmas events once we have worked out what we can do!

Piano Lessons

A few children are having piano lessons in school with a visiting teacher. There is a charge for these lessons. If you would like to enquire about piano lessons please ask your child to collect an information leaflet from me.

Parents ‘Meetings’

Thank you for making appointments to speak to your children’s class teachers by phone. From the feedback I have had from staff and parents this way of doing parents’ evenings appears to have been surprisingly successful! I would welcome any further feedback from you. If you haven’t had a discussion with your child’s class teacher it is essential that this happens after half term.

I hope your children have a safe and fun half term break. Thank you once again for all your support this half term.

Mrs C M Hewitt

Tre Uchaf Primary School Weekly Newsletter

Week Beginning 19^th October

Theme; Our School Values

This week is our final week before we finish for half term on Friday. This has been a very different half term with so many new rules and restrictions for both children and staff to get used to!

Halloween

I think the children deserve a little fun this week! To make up for them missing out on the Halloween Disco and Trick or Treating, they are invited to come to school in Halloween costumes, or another costume of your choice, on Friday 23^rd October! This will still be a learning day, based in classes, but with a magical and mischievous theme! If you want to send your child to school in a costume could we please keep it fun rather than ‘nasty’!

Parents ‘Evenings’

Thank you for ensuring you have arranged a time to talk with your child’s class teacher about their progress so far this year. So far the ‘meetings’ have been very productive. Thank you all so much for working with us in this new way during this challenging time.

If your child has an IEP this should be discussed at the meeting and a copy of your child’s targets will be sent home for you to keep. There is no need to sign it and send back.

If you want to talk to me about anything relating to your child following the discussion with the teacher please don’t hesitate to give me a call.

DoJo and Email Communication

Communication between home and school is really important at this time so we are delighted that nearly every single parent has booked a ‘parents evening’ phone call! Many of you are in regular contact with your child’s class teacher either through Class DoJo or email, which is really useful! This method of communication is ideal for;

• Letting us know about reasons for your child’s absence
• Passing on simple factual information eg your child will be late the next day due to an essential appointment
• Letting us know your child has particularly enjoyed something in school
• Quick questions which require a quick answer!
• Telling us that you need a chat about something important

Please don’t be offended if you don’t receive a response straight away as I have asked teachers to limit their DoJo communications to the hours of 8am – 5pm.

If you have a concern or something more complicated to discuss this is best done through a ‘live’ discussion by phone or, in ‘normal’ times, face to face. So by all means use DoJo or email to ask for a proper discussion rather than spending a long time typing it all out! You will then be contacted either by the class teacher or myself and we will, as always, take the time to listen.

ICT support

We really do hope that school doesn’t have to close again but there is always the possibility that we may have to close a class. We know there are a few families who struggle with home learning tasks because you don’t have access to a suitable computer device and/or the internet. Would you please let your child’s class teacher know if you think you would need to borrow a school device if your child’s class closed.

Half Term and INSET Days

As you know we finish for half term on Friday 23^rd October. We return to school on Monday 2^nd November. Please note there will also be INSET Days as follows;

• Thursday 26^th November
• Friday 27^th November

Free School Meals over Half Term

Parents of children who are entitled to free school meals will receive either a payment by BACs or a Food Parcel early during half term week to cover children’s lunches over the half term break. If you received a BACs payment back in September you will receive one in half term. If you received a Food Parcel in September, or if you are new to free school meals, you will receive one in half term. Details on how these will be delivered/collected are yet to be confirmed.

School Photographs

It’s school photographs day on Monday 9^th November! This year, to avoid mixing classes and families, only INDIVIDUAL photographs will be taken, so NO FAMILY GROUPS.

The photographer normally photographs every child, even if you may not want to buy, but if you do not want your child to have their photograph taken please would you let us know.

Photographs will definitely be ready by Christmas!!

Tre Uchaf Primary School Newsletter Week Beginning 5th October

Theme of the week; Respecting Rights

PLEASE NOTE THAT MONDAY 5TH OCTOBER IS AN INSET DAY, SO NO SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN

There are also INSET Days on 26th and 27th November

Parents Evenings

Your child’s class teacher will be contacting you soon to tell you when they will be phoning you for your child’s parental consultation. For obvious reasons this cannot be done face to face this term but we do think it is important that you have the chance to discuss your child with their class teacher.

You will be given a choice of a daytime discussion while your child is at school or a late afternoon discussion between 3pm and 6pm. Please respond to your child’s class teacher with your preference.

Arrival in School

May I remind you that unless your child is attending Breakfast Club you should wait at the gates to be met by a member of our teaching staff. A few families are entering the school without a check in by staff and this is not acceptable at this time. We need to work together to ensure everyone in our school community fells safe and reassured about attending school.

COVID 19 Testing

If your family has had to self-isolate pending a test result in the family we need you to show us proof of a negative test before admitting your child back into school. We DO trust you but it is important to everyone that we seek this reassurance from you at a time when people are feeling anxious.

Violin Lessons

Lessons will start again on Thursday. Lots of work has gone into planning ways to do this safely. Children MUST bring their instrument in on Thursday when it will be clearly labelled. No sharing of instruments will be allowed.

Many thanks for your continued support during these strange times! Please remember that although we must keep our distance we are always here to discuss an issues you may have by phone. So don’t hesitate to give us a call if you have any worries.

Parents’ Newsletter Week Beginning 28^th September

Dear Parents,

Our Theme this week; Friendship

I would like to start by reminding you that next Monday 5^th October will be an INSET Day, as I know you have arrangements to make. This will be a day for staff to discuss how all your children are being supported and to plan ahead for excellent teaching and learning as we move towards the New Welsh Curriculum.

Breakfast Club

Now that our new Breakfast Club routines have settled down we are able to open it up to a limited number of additional children. Please call school to book your children in for the following week by Thursday at 3pm. Because we have to keep an eye on numbers children can only attend if they have been booked in.

Some of you have asked if the back gate can be opened early enough for Breakfast Club, particularly on days when the field is wet. We will try this out for this next week. Children who are attending Breakfast Club can come straight in as they will be checked in by Breakfast Club staff. Children not attending Breakfast Club MUST wait at this gate until a member of staff arrives to check then in from around 8.35. In the unlikely event that  families do not comply with this we will have to rethink it!

I would like to thank the vast majority of parents who maintain social distancing when queuing and who arrive at the correct gate and time (not too early). Your consideration in standing back to allow others to pass at a 2m distances is appreciated and does not go unnoticed. Thank you!

Parent Governors

Two parents have come forward by the deadline of last Monday as nominated Parent Governors so there has been no need for an election. Your new Parent Governors are Mr David Ricketts and Mrs Sarah Robinson. I am confident that these two parents will represent you well as they have already played an active role in our school through attendance at PTA and Parents Focus Group meetings.

Face Masks

A few parents have opted for their children to wear face masks in school and, although masks are not required for primary children,  this is fine if it gives you confidence that the mask will improve the safety of your children and those around them. As children do tend to touch and adjust their face masks frequently I would ask that your child wears a newly washed mask each day. Would you also please send in a clean plastic bag for storage of your child’s mask when it is removed, either on arrival after wearing it in a taxi or for the purpose of eating.

Violin, Cello and Bass Lessons

As you know lessons were cancelled last week. I am unsure about when they will start again but will let you know as soon as I am informed. In the meantime would you please ensure your child knows where their instrument is (in school or at home), as sharing of instruments will no longer be allowed. Thank you.

Finally, in case you’re wondering, we finish for half term on Friday 23^rd October.

Mrs Hewitt

Tre Uchaf Primary School Newsletter

Week Beginning 21^st September

Our Theme this Week; Sharing

Dear Parents,

Many thanks again for your support and co-operation during this new phase of school re-opening. Breakfast Club and School Dinners have run smoothly, thanks to the commitment of staff and your willingness to follow new procedures.

May I remind you that you need to book your child into Breakfast Club for the following week by 3pm the Thursday before. We will continue to offer Breakfast Club to children entitled to Free School Meals and those whose parents need to get to work for now but will begin to open to others who want to attend as soon as our routines are settled over the next couple of weeks. Please would children arriving for Breakfast Club continue to arrive through the front gate only. We will look at opening the St David’s Close gate if the weather gets worse as we realise that some of you are arriving via the field.

Arrival and Departure

Thank you for arriving with your children at the correct time and for using the yellow spots to wait. Top marks to our Reception and Nursery families for using the new lining up spots! We think this is resulting in less crowding around the doors.

May I remind you that only one parent should bring their children to school, as we are trying to keep everyone safe by minimising contacts as much as possible. Also please remember that ALL children and parents must use the one way system. Enter through the main front gate (not the gates into the yards) or the St David’s Close entrance.

The online check in for year 5 and 6 is going well. Please remember to do this by 8.20 at the latest and earlier if your child is attending Breakfast Club unaccompanied.

Parents and Visitors to School

In line with recent guidance, any visitor, including parents, who needs to come in to the school building will be asked to wait in the outside foyer until someone comes out to meet you. Like other visitors who are not members of our staff, you are asked to wear a face covering in the unlikely event that you have to move through communal areas in the building.

Piano and Violin lessons will begin again this week, after much discussion about how this can be done safely. The piano teacher will contact the children who started last term. Children who have their violins or cellos at home will need to bring them in on Thursday. There will be no sharing or borrowing of instruments.

Parent Governor Nominations

A final reminder that the deadline for Parent Governor nominations is Monday at 9am. You can nominate yourself or someone else. We have two vacancies so if we have more than two nominations there will be an election next week.

INSET Days and Half Term

As you can imagine, we now need to get together as a staff to discuss learning and curriculum matters, now that we have almost established practicalities and new routines! There will be three INSET days this term for this purpose, as follows;

• Monday 5^th October
• Thursday 26^th November
• Friday 27^th November

We finish for half term on 23^rd October.

Parents Evenings

We have been advised not to hold face to face parents evenings this term. However, we think it is important that you have a discussion with your child’s new class teacher before half term. We will be offering you a telephone discussion between 14^th and 23^rd October. You will have a choice of a discussion during school hours or after school hours on a specific day for your child’s class. We hope you will find this a satisfactory arrangement in the circumstances.

Do I send my child to school?

Understandably, some of you are worried about whether or not to send your child to school, particularly if they have a cold. The following flowchart might just help you, but if in doubt, give us a call in the mornings.

Flow chart for unwell children

Any concerns or worries?  Finally I would like to remind you that I am happy to discuss any matters of concern with you by phone from Monday to Thursday. Mrs Davies is currently ‘Acting Head teacher’ on Fridays and is also more than willing to take your calls, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

School Dinners Menu for this week…..

Dear Parents,

Newsletter Week Beginning 14th September

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding over these past two weeks of return to school, while we fine tune our new routines! I am so grateful to you for your compliance with new rules and timetables.

Thank you for arriving at the times your child’s class starts. Please don’t arrive early as this causes queues and congestion! There are some new waiting spots in the infant yard for Nursery and Reception parents as the area here is getting a little crowded! Please use the spots in order to wait safely.

Well done to all the year 5 and 6 parents who are now using or online booking system! We hope this has made things easier for you. We know the system had a glitch this morning but it has now been resolved.

Please can I remind you not to park by the double gates that lead to the Junior yard because it is an emergency exit and also used for wheelchair access.

Now we are starting to open up our school activities further and I would ask you to read the following information carefully so that you know what to expect in the week ahead.

Breakfast Club

o As you should know, Breakfast Club will begin to open up again on Monday for children from Reception to Year 6. We are starting with limited numbers until we can see how things will work and so Breakfast Club will initially be for children entitled to Free School Meals and children whose parents need to get to work.

o We need to keep the children in their class contact groups so we will limit numbers for each class. As I said in a previous message you need to book your children in for the week ahead by 3pm the Thursday before. Children cannot just turn up if they have not been booked in.

o Children will not be allowed to share toys and resources in Breakfast Club so we are inviting them to bring in something to do which doesn’t involve sharing. Children can bring in a pencil case with pens, pencils and colours for their own use only. The pencil case must them be kept in their bag for the day. We will provide paper and colouring sheets if the children want to use this. They can also bring in books or comics of any kind but these must be kept in bags for the rest of the day. Please do not allow children to bring iPads or mobile phones as these will not be allowed. Staff will also entertain the children with exercise sessions, keeping them strictly in their class groups. They are, of course, welcome to just sit and chat with their friends from their class!

o Breakfast will be toast or fruit and a bottle of water and will be served from 8.20am. As before, children can arrive before this time and will be

charged £1 to cover additional costs. Please could you help us by bringing the correct money to drop in the payment box, rather than the staff having to handle money and give change.

o Infant children should be brought to the school hall and junior children to the gym. You will need to check your child in with staff or for year 5 and 6 you can do this online, like this week, from 8.05 – 8.20 (the link may not be sent before this time). Please follow the one way system to exit after dropping your child off.

School Dinners

o School dinners will start again on Monday at a cost of £2.40 each day. Please ensure you have put money on your sQuid account as this is the only way you can pay. We have a weekly list of children entitled to free school meals.

o There will be a choice each day of a hot or a cold meal, with no combinations of the two. Please discuss the choices each morning with your child so that time is not wasted in class. Linda will only be able to cook the food that she is given and won’t be able to switch the options if children don’t like what’s on the menu. The menu for next week is as follows;

Week 1

Week Commencing:

14h September

5th October, 2nd November,

23rd November, 14th December,

11 January, 1st February,

Monday

Hot Option – Margherita Pizza, Oven Potatoes,

Sweetcorn

Cold Option – Chicken Goujon Wrap, Veg sticks

Individual Fruit Yoghurt Pot / Fresh Fruit

Bottle of Water

Tuesday

Hot Option – Chicken Curry, Rice, Peas

Cold Option – Pizza, Rice Salad, Veg sticks

Chocolate Orange Sponge / Fresh Fruit

Bottle of Water

Wednesday

Hot Option -Pasta Bolognese, Mixed Veg

Cold Option – Sausage in a Roll, Veg sticks

Homemade biscuit / Fresh Fruit

Bottle of Water

Thursday

Hot Option – Cottage Pie, Roast, Broccoli

Cold Option – Cheesy Pasta Pot, Veg Sticks

Jam Split / Fresh Fruit

Bottle of Water

Friday

Hot option – Baked Fish Fillet, Chips, Baked Beans

Cold option – Cheese & Ham Wrap, Veg Sticks

Chocolate Cornflake Crisp / Fresh Fruit

Bottle of Water

Snack

Please continue to send in a fruit snack for your child until we have worked out safe practices for preparing snacks.

Drinks

Please also continue to send in a named water bottle for your child which they can refill throughout the day.

Kids Club

This also starts again on Monday and you will need to book your children in in the usual way. Strict procedures will be in place to keep your children in their class contact groups and to maintain hygiene at all times.

Information about your child’s new class!

Normally at this time of year we would invite you in to meet your child’s new class teacher to find out all the important information you need. For obvious reasons, we can’t do this this year, so you should be receiving this key information remotely in the next week or so. Look out for DoJo messages and emails!

Parents Evenings

One way or another there will be meetings with parents before half term so you can discuss your child’s progress and how they have settled into their new class. We will let you know how this will be done as soon as we have worked it out!

As you know, I will always make myself available to discuss any concerns you may have, preferably by phone. Also, I am usually available at the St David’s close gate from 8.35 or in the yards as children arrive. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

C M Hewitt